Inside of Me
by LittleKnux2008
Summary: Lita's daughter, Mina Hardy enters the WWE, knowing it is in her blood. She's in for a surprise, however, when she finds out just whose blood-and it isn't Matt Hardy's.
1. Prologue

**Inside of Me  
****Prologue**

Lita grinned brightly as she walked down the hallways of the RAW arena, unable to get the smile off of her face. She glanced down at her left hand, intertwined with another's. Two bands around her fingers sparkled, and her smile seemed to enlarge. After all she had been through with Matt Hardy, it was sometimes hard to think that they were together—they were _married_—for nearly twenty years. As she looked up, Matt's eyes caught hers. He squeezed her hand, his grin matching the one on her face.

The redhead let out a breath as they reached the Divas' locker room. She smiled wistfully as she touched the doorknob and turned it. It had been nearly eight years since she had made an appearance on RAW. Everything was so different now. **RAW **was different. The former 2-hour show had been increased to three and a half. The Hardcore Championship had made its return, following on the heels of the introduction of the Inter-gender Tag Team Championship. Nearly all of her co-workers had retired from active duty, and several faces unknown to her littered the hallways. Evolution had combusted upon itself after the unfortunate passing of Ric Flair. Randy Orton and Dave Batista had turned on Triple H, forcibly causing the man's retirement. The only names she could recognize in the hunt for the WWE Heavyweight Title were Batista and Shelton Benjamin. Gail Kim and a string of younger Divas led the Women's Division, which, Lita had to admit, had become even greater with the extension of RAW. Eric Bischoff and Theodore Long had both been demoted. Stephanie and Shane McMahon became the commissioners of Smackdown and RAW, giving the McMahon family full reign over their company. Shane and Melissa McMahon's baby boy had progressed to the age of twenty three, and was currently doing wonders for the company by signing new talent and various other odds and ends.

"Dad, Mom!" the feminine voice interrupted the redhead's thoughts. Lita turned to the girl-no, woman now-standing before them. She was nearly 5'7", one of two attributes that Lita continually focused herself to ignore—because it obviously didn't come from Matt or herself.

"Hey, baby," Matt greeted her, hugging the woman tightly. He playfully twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "It's shorter," he noticed, eyeing the deep red strand. She smiled back at him, tugging her hair back to its rightful place on her upper back. "And black streaks," Matt added, and grinned. "My little girl's all grown up," he announced.

She punched him playfully, "Stop that," she said with a smile. He pushed her back playfully.

"No. Huh? Whatcha gonna do about it?" he asked. She grasped his arm, pulling him into a headlock.

Lita smiled as she watched her husband and her daughter's horseplay. No one would ever guess that they weren't father and daughter. _'That's because they are!' _Lita told herself. _'Matt may not be her biological father, but he's her father, period. She's Mina **Hardy.** She doesn't know about Kane, and she never will.'_

There was a knock on the door, and nearly everyone in the room turned. "Yeah?" one of the Divas called.

"Mina Hardy is up next!" the muffled voice came through the door.

Mina grinned, turning to her parents, her excitement infectious. She had worked so hard to get to this point, and now that she was finally there, she was ready to burst with happiness. Since she was thirteen, she had worked steadily with her uncle Jeff until she turned sixteen. At that point, she'd gone to Ohio Valley Wrestling for five years straight—up until this day, which, ironically, was her twenty-first birthday. Between Lita, Matt, and Jeff, her vacations weren't quite vacations from her schooling, but she didn't mind. Mina was well aware that her heritage had helped in her selection as a WWE Diva, but she knew she deserved it in her heart. Michael McMahon—Shane's son—had genuinely impressed with her skill, and she knew it was a rare compliment.

Lita looked at her daughter, fighting the maternal tears in her eyes. Her baby girl, all grown up... She paused suddenly as Mina's eyes turned to hers. The warmth in the pit of her stomach seemed to fade as a cool pit settled. Two different colored eyes stared back at her—a deep jade and a dark, underwater blue. Lita swallowed tightly. "Mina, honey... Are you going to put your contacts in before you go?" Ever since the first day she had been mocked in grade school, Mina had had colored contacts, changing her eyes to a blue color close to her left eye's color.

Mina looked at the floor for a moment before looking at her mother and responding. "I always wore them because I was afraid to be weird, or I didn't want to be mocked..." she trailed off. "When I go out there, I want to be me, and my eyes, that's just as part of me as my hair."

Matt ruffled Mina's hair. "You're turning out to be quite the little Lita," he told her, and Mina blushed slightly. After a minute of silence, she hugged Lita and Matt tightly.

"I don't mean to be a party pooper, but I've got to get out there and introduce myself to the fans, and hopefully win a title," Mina told them, flashing a white smile. Matt and Lita escorted her to the curtains, and watched as Mina disappeared behind the navy blue confines.

Lita held Matt's hand tightly, and he held on just as tight. "We're getting old," he said finally, and she smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. They stood like that for a few moments, watching the monitor as they waited for their daughter's appearance.

"I really don't want to bring this up, but Mattie... Are you _sure _Shane told all of the people who know about...about Kane to keep quiet?" she whispered, hating the taste of the other man's name on her lips. Matt stiffened beside her, and then relaxed. Kane had been suspended a few weeks ago because of his reckless assault on an innocent interviewer. He would not be around anytime soon—and hopefully never. Shane was petitioning to have the monster fired.

"Shane told everybody, Lita. Everyone knows not to even mention it. Relax, Lita. Mina is going to be a superstar, and she's never going to know—and she never needs to know—about Kane." Lita nodded numbly, and watched as the arena went dark on the monitor. Lita readied herself for her daughter's entrance, but something was still nagging at her: that undeniable feeling that something was going to go horribly and utterly wrong.

And she was near positive it had something to do with Kane.

* * *

**Author's Note: **The next chapter should be up tomorrow if I can make it. Please review!

_In the next chapter: Kane's suspension is lifted, and he makes his return to the ring—with Mina still in it. What happens when he tells Mina the truth about who her real father is?_


	2. Chapter 1

**Inside of Me  
****Chapter 1**

Mina Hardy let out a long breath, staring at the second set of blue curtains that led to the entrance ramp. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, nerves buzzing through her. The redhead tried to prepare herself mentally for the moment that she stepped onto the steel ramp.

"You're up," the technician to her left announced, and she nodded, facing the curtains. Mina took one last breath, and stepped through. The velvet brushed against her, and the curtain temporarily blocked her view. Music began to pound through the speakers as she stepped onto the steel.

She wasn't sure what kind of reaction she was expecting, but it was definitely a lift when she heard the excited cheers of the crowd. She knew most of it was due to her entrance video ultimately displaying her last name. The redhead felt entirely self-conscious in her tight-fitting halter top and pants, but she tried not to show it as she entered the ring and accepted a microphone. "Hell-o At_lanta_!" she said, receiving a short pop from the crowd. Mina grinned, and then leaned against one of the ropes. "I have a match against Gail Kim for the Women's Championship tonight," she told them, trying to steady the beating of her heart. "You all know my mother, Lita?" she said, and the crowd cheered. "Well, when my _mother _was still wrestling, Gail Kim was wrestling as well, and in fact, won the title the first night she had. Twenty years later, she's a champion again. Gail, I hate to break it to you, but your time as Women's Champion is _over_. You think you're so great, winning the championship your first night. I'm here to tell you that it can be done again. Better yet? Why don't I _show _you?" Mina waited for Gail Kim's music to begin, satisfied at her own speech. The crowd seemed to like her, in the least.

Instead of Gail's music starting, however, there was a burst of fire from the entrance ramp. Mina froze as a large, bald man made his way to the ring slowly. It took a moment, but she placed a name to him: Kane. She bit her lip, remembering the people she knew to stay away from.

Kane was at the top of that list.

Mina exhaled softly, keeping her calm. Her body was tense, but she barely blinked as Kane stepped into the ring over the top rope, taking his swell time. His eyes bored into hers, and Mina knew full well he was trying to intimidate her. She raised a single eyebrow, forcing herself to lean against the ropes. The position left her vulnerable to any attack, but she wanted to get her message across: she was _not _afraid of him.

* * *

Backstage, Matt Hardy was trying to calm down his wife. "Lita!" he cried, trying to get her attention, but her eyes were still riveted on the monitor.

"He was supposed to be **suspended!**" she yelled.

"Lita, we'll get to the bottom of this," he promised her, trying to conceal his own worry.

"What if he tells her?" Lita whispered, her voice dropping suddenly. Her breathing came fast still. "What if..." she closed her eyes, pursing her lips to cut off any tears and sobs that longed to escape. Matt took her in his arms, hugging her to him tightly, his eyes on the monitor as Kane stared Mina down.

"No matter what happens, we'll get through it. Kane is her biological father, but I'm her dad," he told her soothingly.

"We have to go out there..." she whispered, her voice muffled against his shirt. She didn't make a move to go, and neither did Matt. Both of them knew any efforts to stop Kane would be futile. Lita lifted her head, watching as Kane spoke to Mina.

All she could do was watch as the world she had created around her daughter for their family's good came crashing down.

* * *

"Mina Hardy," he said, and she stared right back at him. "So you're _finally _a WWE Diva," he stared back at her. "You realize that half of the reason you were picked was because of the wrestler blood that runs in your veins?"

Mina pushed off from the ropes, making a half circle in front of him before speaking. She was sure to keep her stance ready to fight; her right shoulder facing him, her feet spread slightly apart. "I'm full well aware that part of the reason I was picked was because of my heritage, but I also know that my wrestling skills aren't lacking in the least." It unnerved her that his response to her reply was a smirk.

"Mina... Have you ever wondered why you don't like your father?" he asked, and she froze. "Have you ever wondered why you have one blue eye, and one green one?" Mina took a step backward, her body tensing once more. He was hitting home, and she didn't like the smirk still in place on his face. _'His eyes...' _she realized suddenly. _'One blue...one green...' _Knowing what she had noticed, Kane continued, stepping closer to her. "Ever wonder why you're so much taller than all of the other Divas?" he tilted his head. "But you're right. Wrestling _is _in your blood. Your mother revolutionized the Women's Division. Your father," he chuckled, lopsided grin back in place. "Well, Mina... I think I'm a pretty damn good wrestler...what do you think?" it wasn't said as a question. Mina felt her back touch the turnbuckle, and she raised the microphone to her lips.

"You aren't my father," she snapped defensively, her hands sweating. _'One blue eye, one green...tall...' _the characteristics that she shared with the man before her flew through her head. She placed a fist to her forehead, trying to rid herself of the thoughts. "My father is Matthew Moore Hardy," she told him, her tone wavering as she mentally doubted herself. Everyone had been looking at her funny earlier; as if they knew something that they wanted to tell her, but couldn't.

Was this it?

"No!" she yelled into the microphone.

"You know the truth!" he yelled back, and she shook her head. "Why are you denying it? Look in a mirror, Mina. You're my flesh and blood, my child," he paused until the ferocious booing of the crowd dimmed. "Lita and Matt stole you away from me!"

Mina tried to focus her eyes somewhere else, but they kept falling back to him. Was he really her father? There was a pit of cold in her gut, and she knew it was true, but her mind continued to deny it. Why would her parents lie to her for all these years if it was? She swallowed tightly. Mina ran a hand through her hair, and brought the microphone up to her lips. "What do you want with me?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I want you to give me the chance to be in your life, to be what your mother would never let me be...a father."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the ending, I wanted to end it while I could. If I kept going, the chapter would never stop. I hope you guys liked it though! Please review!  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the story itself and any original characters.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for all of the reviews! They mean a lot to me! I hope you guys like this chapter, and please review! Anyway...onward!

_

* * *

_

**Inside of Me  
****Chapter 2**

"I want you to give me the chance to be in your life, to be what your mother would never let me be...a father," Kane told her. Mina stepped back, her throat tightening. His words echoed through her mind. Her red hair fell against her face, sticking to the lip gloss on her lips. She slowly stepped through the ropes, all the while keeping eye contact with Kane. Her match with Gail didn't seem to hold any priority anymore.

"_Have you ever wondered why you don't look like your father?" _she turned toward the steel ramp, and ran. It wasn't true! It couldn't be!

"_Have you ever wondered why you have one blue eye and one green eye?" _her eyes were filling with tears, and she couldn't stop them. Was it true?

"_Ever wonder why you're so much taller than all of the other Divas?" _she continued running, coming closer to the curtains. What if it _was _true? Her heart beat ferociously against her chest as she burst past the navy curtains. Suddenly she was backstage. Mina stopped suddenly, now face to face with her parents. They were both staring at her, Matt with his hands resting on Lita's shoulders. Mina shook her head, barely aware that she was trembling all over. Their look said all that needed to be said.

"Mina..." her mother tried to speak, but the look on Mina's face silenced her.

"You lied to me!" Mina shouted, her fists curling into balls. "You lied to me _my entire life!_"

"Mina, you don't understand!" Matt tried to protest.

"That's right, I don't understand!" she felt a salty tear run down her face. "Why? Why did you lie to me?" she whispered.

"It was for your own good," Lita whispered.

"It was for my own good," she forced a hollow laugh from her. "It was for my own good to come to the WWE, go on national television, and then find out that my parents have _lied to me since I've been born_?" she asked, and shook her head, taking a step back. Her eyes landed on Matt. "You told everyone not to let me know, didn't you?" she accused. When he didn't say anything, she took a step backward. "My entire life has been a fucking charade," she said, barely able to keep her voice level.

"Why does it matter that we didn't tell you?" Lita asked all of a sudden, taking a step forward. "He's a monster! We didn't want you to have to face being his child!"

"You mean _you _didn't want to face the fact that I am his child!" she shouted back, her eyes flaring. "And it matters because you lied to me. I can't trust my own family," her eyes fell on Matt. "I say family because you aren't my father," she told him, her tone icy. "You are the man who posed as him."

"Can't we just accept this and be a family again?" Lita asked desperately as Mina moved to go.

She turned to face her pleading mother. "You never gave him a chance," she whispered.

"..._what your mother would never let me be..." _Kane's words echoed in Lita's mind, and it was all she could do from lunging forward and keeping Mina with her. "You can't go to him!" she screamed.

"I do what I want, when I want!" Mina yelled back. "He's my father, and he deserves a chance. I want to give him that chance. It's not your decision," she snapped. She stepped back, and then turned, speed walking down the hallways with no destination. Her walk turned into a sprint. _'Away...I just need to get away...' _tears were whipped along the side of her forehead and disappeared into her hairline from her speed. Her breath came in raspy jolts, and finally, she stopped in a deserted area of the arena, collapsing between two storage units and letting the sobs rack her body. She forced any thoughts out of her head, and just let herself cry.

A hand touched her arm, and she snapped her head up. "Are you okay?" the man in front of her asked.

"Peachy keen," she whispered sarcastically, brushing at her eyes as she studied him. He was squatting down in front of her, but she could tell he was tall; about 6'5", if she had to make a guess. His brown hair was kept short, and his eyes were a deep blue. The golden Heavyweight Championship was laid across his shoulder. Silence stretched out between them.

Randy looked down at the younger girl. He had been one of the people demanded to keep silent about what had happened between Kane and Lita. He had been leaving the arena just as the woman in front of him was in the ring. Randy had been stepping out of the door when he heard Kane's music playing.

"Mina! Mina!" Matt Hardy's voice echoed down the hallways. The redhead let her head fall back against the wall, and sighed heavily.

"I've got to get out of here," she whispered, more to herself than to anyone.

"How 'bout you room with me?" Randy wasn't sure what spurred him to offer. He sensed her hesitation. "Look, I know who you are, and apparently you're upset at your parents, and I don't blame you. If you come with me, you have the option to speak to them when you'd like," she was still tentative. "I know about what happened between Kane and Lita," he glanced down the hallway to see Matt Hardy coming closer. "It's your ball," he told Mina.

She bit down on her lip, knowing it was stupid to go off with someone she didn't know, but her overwhelming curiosity about Kane, and the fact that Matt was coming ever closer, sealed her choice.

"Let's go."


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I know it's a bit of a strain to have Kane wrestling when he would technically be 56 years old, but its fiction! Oh, and I'm sorry about the original third chapter posted; I put the chapter for "All for One Thing" under there on accident. Anyway, please review!

* * *

**Inside of Me  
****Chapter 3**

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Randy," Mina told him gratefully, sitting on the couch, one foot curled under her. There was only the slightest tint of red to her eyes that indicated that she had been crying a few hours ago.

"It's not a problem," Randy replied as he sat down on one of the two beds, wearing a simple pair of gym shorts and a tank top. There was a silence as they both studied one another and debated what to say.

"I don't mean to bother you with this, but could you..." Mina trailed off.

"Tell you about Kane?" Randy prompted, and she nodded. He paused, gathering his thoughts about the events that had occurred nearly twenty years ago. "I was in a group called Evolution at the time," he explained to her. "I won the WWE Championship for the first time during what happened between Kane and your mother, and the next day the group turned on me. That's basically what I remember about that time, but I remember the general things about it."

"You said 'Kane and your mother'," she pointed out, tilting her head, her eyes questioning. "Why?"

Randy hesitated. "Because I believe they wanted the best for you in not telling you about Kane, and because I think that Kane wouldn't be any kind of father to you." He thoroughly expected Mina to erupt at that statement, but she just pursed her lips and nodded.

"Lita and Matt got back together several months after Matt nearly got her fired," Randy explained, and Mina frowned. She hadn't heard about that... Randy gave an apologetic smile. "Another story for another day. Anyway... Kane kept going after them. He and Lita reached a deal of sorts—Lita was pushed into it, mind you, Kane was nearly killing Matt when she made her decision—he agreed to leave Matt alone if she slept with him. Well, he kept to the deal until Matt proposed to Lita, which he did after they found out she was pregnant. Kane came up on the big screen, and forced Lita to tell Matt about what happened. Lita had a DNA test done, and it showed that it was Kane's baby. Matt and Kane had a match, and the winner married Lita."

"So Matt won it, right?" Mina asked, her brow furrowing at the news, her stomach churning.

"No. Kane did," Randy hesitated, and then continued onward. "They got married the next night on RAW. Once they did, Lita showed him the divorce papers that she'd gotten him to unknowingly sign. Kane was taken out of the arena and she married Matt." Randy watched her look down at her intertwined hands, her hair falling off of her shoulders and framing her face. When she looked up, Randy was struck by how vulnerable she looked.

"What kind of person is Kane?" she whispered, biting her lip as she did so.

Randy sighed as he internally debated whether or not to say what he thought of Kane. It was for the best to tell her the truth, he decided. She had already been lied to enough in her life. "I don't mean to upset you, but he's a monster. His face was all burnt-up by some fire his brother caused; I don't know much about that though. He always had this mask on..." he trailed off and frowned. "Triple H, part of Evolution, had a match against him: if he won, Kane had to take the mask off," he paused. "H ended up winning, and we tried to rip the mask off, but Rob Van Dam—his tag team partner at the time—came to the ring and attacked us, and we went backstage. Kane took off his mask, freaked out, attacked Van Dam, and suffice it to say...he turned into what he is now."

Mina was lost in thought as she sunk backward into the couch. "He was a good guy before his mask was taken off, wasn't he?" she whispered.

Randy took a minute to think about it, and then guilt started to eat at him. Was it Evolution's fault that Kane had turned into a monster? If Triple H had lost, and somehow, the situation just went away, Kane wouldn't have forced Lita to sleep with him. Matt and Lita would've married without any problems, and—

_And Mina wouldn't be here, _he told himself, and frowned. _The mother of all grandfather-time paradoxes... Go back in time and kill your grandfather, you wouldn't be alive..._ He was silent for a moment, and then he responded to Mina's question. "Yes, he was."

"Imagine if you based your life off of one thing... If you felt you were only accepted because you had that one thing, and if it got taken away from you. What would you do?" she looked him in the eye. "Would you bite the bullet and turn on everyone before they could turn on you? Would you wait it out and hope that everything was going to be okay?"

"I don't know what I would do," Randy replied truthfully.

"Kane bit the bullet."

"Maybe, maybe not," he answered evasively. "Look, how about you sleep on this? You've got a lot on your plate," he added.

"I guess sleep would help," she said reluctantly a minute later. "If Matt and Lita come in the morning...Just say I'm sleeping or something."

A half an hour later, they were both lying on the separate beds, both of their thoughts caught up with Kane, neither able to fall asleep. Randy opened his eyes and looked at Mina's dark form as he thought.

When Lita had turned against Kane, Kane had lost his "plan". Mina had been his seed, and Lita had taken it away from him. Kane had claimed that in the end, he would even get the girl, and the championship. Lita refused to have anything to do with him, especially now that she was with Matt, and Randy had, on several occasions—both legally and illegally—retained the title from him.

Suddenly, when all had seemed lost, an opportunity had dumped into Kane's lap to regain his 'seed'.

Randy knew Kane would stop at nothing to take Mina as his own.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Nothing to say, really, just thanks for the reviews guys! Keep 'em coming, and you'll keep getting updates! It's kind of a boring chapter, but the next chapter picks up!

* * *

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

* * *

**Inside of Me**

**Chapter 4**

Mina Hardy felt her eyelids flicker open, and she felt a brief moment of terror grip her at the unfamiliar surroundings. A second later, she relaxed, recalling almost immediately what had happened last night. She wished she hadn't. Sighing, she swung her feet off of the end of her bed, her eyes moving over to the other bed, now unoccupied. As if an answer to her silent question, the door swung open, revealing Randy already dressed and showered, two coffee cups in hand. "Hey," Mina said with a small smile.

"Hey," he replied, handing her a coffee. "Didn't know how you liked it, so I just got black."

"Black is fine," she told him, "and thanks," she added gratefully, and took a sip of the steaming liquid. It burned her tongue, and her throat on the way down, but it was refreshing. Randy sat down next to her at the end of the bed, both drinking their coffees in relative, comfortable silence. Mina sighed softly as she let the coffee rest on her thigh, her hand still wrapped around the cup. "I've been thinking..." she started, and hesitated.

"Yeah?" Randy prompted.

"Well... You said that you were part of a team called Evolution."

"Yup," he took another sip of coffee. "What about it?"

"I remember watching you wrestling in a group of people when I was little," her brow furrowed. "After Evolution spilt up, did you join another group or something?" she felt a little rude, asking so many uninvited questions about his life, but nonetheless, she didn't recall it.

Randy smiled, understanding her confusion. "When you were little, huh? That makes me feel so old..." he shook his head, and then answered her question. "Well, after Evolution turned on me, we had a long, gruesome feud..." he paused, "We won't elaborate on that. Like I said, it's long. About three years after that, we still weren't fighting, Triple H got injured and had to spend about six months out of the ring. Batista invited me back, and after thinking about it, I decided to try it. I'd never really had a problem with him or Flair, mostly with Hunter. So we came back and everything was fine. Then, Hunter came back, and everything was tense again. A couple months after, Ric had a heart attack and died," a flash of sadness crossed his face. Flair had been his mentor, his enemy, and his friend at some points during Randy's life, but he'd always been one of Randy's idols. Shaking his head, he went on. "Batista and I turned on Hunter, and attacked him until his injuries would keep him away from the WWE forever. Batista and I then parted ways... Well, until now. He and Shelton are after the title," he jerked his head in the general direction of the golden belt, and Mina nodded, her eyes settling on the title.

"So..." Randy hesitated briefly. "Have you decided what to do about Kane?"

Mina sighed. "I'm going to give him a chance. He's my father, and I believe he deserves one."

"And what about Matt and Lita?" The question startled her, and she didn't answer. "They raised you and they loved you more than anything. When they decided not to tell you about Kane, they did it because they thought it was best for you. No matter what they did, _they thought it was for your own good_."

Mina bit her tongue to stop herself from expelling the hurt, angry words gathered in her throat. "I don't know, Randy, and I'm not about to make a decision now. I'm not exactly happy with them right now, and if I make a decision at this moment, I'm probably going to end up regretting it."

Randy nodded. "So you're going to give Kane a chance," it was a statement, not a question, and sounded as if he was trying it out on his lips.

"Yep," she told him, standing up, and suddenly realizing that she left her duffel bag at the arena. "Crap!"

Randy laughed behind her. "I got it for you. One of the girls had it." He didn't mention that it was in fact Lita who had gotten it and put it at the front desk. Randy had been right behind her and had picked up the bag on his way.

She smiled thankfully at Randy. "Thanks, Randy. You really didn't have to do that."

"I know. Am I getting brownie points?" he asked, grinning.

Mina smiled. "Maybe," she replied, her eyes roaming the room and suddenly spotting the bag near the bathroom door. She walked over to it and slung it over her shoulder, hovering near the bathroom door.

"You're giving him a chance," he repeated it again.

She rolled her eyes, her hand on her hip. "C'mon, Randy," she said, her eyes regarding him. "Wouldn't it be just like a messed up fairy tale? Girl grows up in family, figures out that she has another father, meets other father, other father becomes part of her life with her other parents, and they live happily ever after," she sighed, and Randy could see the soft, resigned emotions in her eyes that clearly told that she doubted her own words.

Randy just stared back at her. She turned, and entered the bathroom. After a few moments, the steady sound of the shower running reached his ears. He sighed, running a hand over his hair. _'Messed up fairy tale is right... The **thought **of Kane, Matt and Lita getting along in any way is ridiculous!'_

But for Mina's sake, he hoped that miracles really did happen.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Okay, I promised it would pick up, and I lied... Sorry!! I'll tell you though, in like a month from this point in the story there's going to be a PPV match between Kane and Matt. Just to tease you! Anyway, thanks to huntersgirl, Lindsey, Melissa, Latisha C, and ChArMeDcRaZiChIcK for the reviews. Please keep them coming!

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

**Inside of Me**

**Chapter 5**

Mina put her hair back into a half-ponytail, Randy watching TV beside her. Mina made a face at the mirror, elastic band in place, and tossed her brush into her duffel bag. Internally, she debated what to do today. _'The flight for the next RAW show leaves Thursday night, so I really have two days here,' _she smiled a little, grateful that she wasn't assigned to autograph sessions, interviews, and whatnot just yet. _'I obviously need to talk to Kane... And I want to spend some time with him before the next show. I have to talk to Mr. McMahon too,' _she realized with a cringe. It was doubtful that the McMahon would want to fire her, but she didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with him. After all, she did owe him an apology. She'd walked out on her Women's Championship match; a match that some girls in the back would give a limb to have.

As Mina zipped up her duffel bag, she decided what to do. First off, she was going to find Vince McMahon and apologize as soon as humanely possible. Then she'd see Kane. Nodding to herself, she slung the duffel bag onto the bed, plopping down on it and watching the TV, her feet tapping rhythmically against the footboard to the bed.

A loud knocking at the door interrupted a particularly annoying commercial, and Mina looked over at Randy. "I'm supposing they're here for you," she told him, "Seeing as how no one knows I'm here." _'And the fact that no one knows me enough to visit me...' _she thought to herself, but shrugged it off. She'd make more friends soon enough. Randy slowly made his way to the door. Mina swallowed her curiosity and stared at the TV.

"Hello?" Randy said sleepily as he opened the door.

"Where is my daughter?"

Mina's head flew up, her eyes jerking to the door, immediately recognizing the voice as her mother's. Groaning inwardly, she banged the back of her foot against the bed. This was just **not **her day today, way it? Sighing, she began to stand.

Randy eyed Lita Hardy, his palm flat on the door and his body blocking any view of the room she might have. He didn't say a word to the woman. "I know she's here, Randy," Lita spit out the words, leveling Randy with a dirty glare. _'What did I do to deserve that?' _Randy wondered, but pushed it aside.

"Yeah, she's here," he said finally.

"Let me in. I want to talk to her."

Randy raised an eyebrow. "Number one, sweetheart," he said, knowing fully well this was irritating the woman beyond belief, "You don't command me, or Mina. Number two, what you want and what's going to happen aren't always the same. If Mina wants to talk to you, then you'll get to talk with her." He challenged her with a look, but she just clenched her jaw, sensing that a fight with him would be useless. Randy turned, spotting Mina a few feet behind him. "Do you want to talk with her?" he asked.

Mina sighed heavily. "I guess. I mean, I can't exactly run from the inevitable." Randy pushed the door open a little more, and Mina brushed past him, giving him a small smile, and then turned to Lita. Randy tentatively shut the door, knowing they needed their privacy. The two redheads stared at each other, not saying a word.

"What are you doing in **his **hotel room?" Lita demanded suddenly.

Mina felt the anger creep up her. "Funny how that's none of your business," she answered stiffly. Lita took a step forward, grasping Mina's forearm.

"He's twenty years older than you!" she shouted, obviously coming to the conclusion that Mina was dating Randy. "You can't date him!"

Despite the fact that it was not true, Mina felt her feathers ruffling, so to speak. Her eyes narrowed, and she snatched her hand back. Generally, she tried to be patient and polite, but as of this moment, she had so much bottled up anger, it spewed from her mouth in cold words. "Do not touch me," she hissed through gritted teeth. "And as for Randy? We're not dating, but he's a real nice guy. Maybe we'll hit it off," the last part was unlikely, but it was a potshot to Lita. She judged her dates on personality, and everything else became second to that. Still...it was more unlikely than probable. "And, hey, do you know what makes him a good guy?" she didn't wait for her mother to respond. "He's there for me," she tilted her head. "Kinda like family is supposed to be, eh?" she tossed her hair behind her shoulders. "Then again, what do I know?" her eyes captured the snarl forming in her. "I don't have a family to relate to."

"Listen to me," Lita's anger had been spiked as well. "You better stop this ridiculous immaturity right now. Yes, we lied to you. We thought it was best for you. You're off making this hundreds times bigger than it needs to be. It's because of your immaturity that wherever Matt and I go, we get stared at."

Mina didn't know when it happened, but she snapped. "Fuck you," she hissed with such conviction it momentarily stunned Lita out of her fury. "You just don't understand, do you? You never did. And what the hell do you mean that its because of me that you get stared at? It's because of your own fucking mistake, and you're taking it out on me. If you wouldn't have slept with Kane than this wouldn't be happening," she hissed.

"And you wouldn't be alive," Lita said, surprised. How did she know about Kane? It hit her almost immediately: Randy.

"I'm starting to think that would be more acceptable in your eyes," Mina retorted sourly, and turned on her heel, her hand on the doorknob. Behind all of the anger, she felt tears brewing. She didn't like fighting with her mother at all, but when she was so blatantly wrong it was hard.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lita asked.

"Again, it's none of your business," she tilted her head. "Maybe I'm getting drunk. Maybe I'm getting laid. Maybe I'm cutting myself. Maybe I'm going to sleep. Any way, it is none of your frigging business what I do anymore," she turned the knob.

"You owe Matt and me an apology!" Lita shouted after her. Mina turned.

"You want an apology? Fine," she glared at her mother, struggling inwardly to keep the tears at bay. "I'm sorry that I was created from the mistake you made. I'm sorry I turned out to be such a screw up in your eyes. I'm sorry that I'm alive. And hey, who knows? Maybe I'll die tomorrow. That would make your life so much easier, wouldn't it?" she snapped. Mina whirled around, feeling the first tear slide down her cheek as she stumbled into the room.

She stood there for a moment, motionless except for the trembling of her body. Randy, lying on the bed with his arms over his head, looked at her and sat up immediately, concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Mina took a few steps and sat down next to him. She felt like she was on the peak of a mountain, off balance, ready to fall on either side: fury or sadness. Randy's brow furrowed as he studied her, rubbing her back with one hand. "It's okay... It's gonna be okay..." he told her soothingly. She shook her head slowly, her lips parting slightly, a half of a sob sounding.

"No it's not," she whispered, "It's not going to be okay," she pursed her lips tightly as the first tears began to fall. Randy used his other hand to squeeze hers. She buried her head in his shoulder and let the tears take over. Randy gently patted her hair. It stirred a pit of anger deep within him that Kane, Lita, and Matt were so oblivious to Mina's feelings in what was going on; in this game. Because that was really what it was.: A game of tug-of-war. It had been the same way nearly twenty years earlier. Matt and Kane arguing for Lita, and now all three arguing for Mina. It bothered him that Lita, who should've been the one to understand Mina the most, was, in fact, the one causing her most of the pain. Randy frowned.

He was going to have to have a talk with Lita.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's been a while since I updated! Thanks to Jessy Antichrist, Johnschick4ever, Latisha C, biddiebabe93, ChArMeDcRaZiChIcK, gtea-angel, moonchaser, huntersgirl, Taka-Ichi-Sisters, and madame bloodbathe for the reviews! Please keep them coming!

* * *

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

* * *

**Inside of Me**

**Chapter 6**

Mina Hardy walked into the small café tentatively, her eyes scanning the place for Kane. She had called him about two hours ago, asking him if he had the time to get together and catch up with each other that day. Kane had suggested they meet for brunch, which had thus brought her to this casual café. The walls were a rich red, and a homey warmth seemed to radiate from the place. Mina spotted Kane at a booth by the back wall, and walked over toward him, sliding in the opposite side.

"Hello, Mina," he said, his eyes on her, seemingly testing the words out of his mouth. Mina gave him a small smile and nodded at him. She still didn't know what to call him. Dad? No. She couldn't; at least not yet. It would have to be Kane for now.

The two were silent as they looked over the small menus and ordered their food. Mina peeked over at the other patrons, but they didn't appear to recognize her nor Kane which, she supposed, was a good thing. As soon at the waitress disappeared, orders in hand, the silence between them became oppressing. "So..." Mina let out a small, awkward laugh.

"So," Kane echoed. Looking across the table at her, he slowly took in every detail about her, proving to himself that it really was his daughter. It was easy to spot Mina's resemblance to both he and Lita. Thinking of the past, Kane smiled slightly. _'The night that would haunt Lita forever...did.'_ "Tell me... What was your life like?" his brow creased in curiosity.

Mina hesitated only briefly to put her words in order. "Well, I grew up with Lita and Matt," she stopped abruptly, not sure if she should mention either of them in his presence. _'At least I didn't call them Mom and Dad...' _she thought to herself. _'And after what I've just been through with them, I don't think I'm going to be able to for a long time.'_

"It's all right," Kane said with a reassuring smile, "Go on."

"Lita stayed home with me until I was ready to start kindergarten, when I was four or five. She brought me with her on the road with the Smackdown! brand, and I got tutored on the road. It was fun, and all of the guys were nice to me, or at least neutral. There were a few nasty guys, but they never came near me. When I was in fourth 'grade', I guess is the way to say it, Lita decided to come home. I don't know why, but it had something to do with her disagreeing with the McMahon's."

"They wanted to put her back on RAW," Kane stepped in, "because RAW ultimately draws the biggest crowds, and Lita was a big part of it. I take it she didn't want to see me, so she didn't."

Mina nodded solemnly. "Yeah... Well, we went back home in Carolina, and I entered in Hunter Elementary in December."

"Was it nice?" Kane asked as the waitress came back with their coffees.

Mina looked down at the swirling brown liquid before her, and sighed softly. "No, no, it wasn't," she said softly, and blew on the steaming coffee. "When you go in the middle of a year, you don't get a chance to start with people, and by then all of the 'cliques' are formed," she hesitated. "I got made fun of a lot."

"For your eyes," Kane said, and Mina lifted her head, surprised he had guessed. "I know," Kane said, smiling sadly, "I know how it feels, and I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I'm not, because it taught me the true features of humans," she took a small sip of coffee. "Further in the year, they still were making fun of me, and I retaliated. I was in the principal's office everyday, and I deemed a 'problem child'. Lita got letters home about it," Mina's eyes were fixated on the hanging lamp above and beyond Kane's head, silently reliving her past. "She talked to me about it, in that nice way, but I knew she was disappointed in me. I didn't like that..." she sighed. "She kept asking me why I hit the other students, but I never told her, because I knew she'd be just like the principal and the lunch ladies, who didn't understand why I didn't just ignore them. How _can _you ignore them, when they're always there, always bearing down?" the redhead looked up, and saw the genuine understanding in Kane's eyes. He, too, knew her pain. She felt a lump forming in her throat, and she wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because, in all of her life, she had never, _ever_, found someone that completely understood her or her past...and now it seemed like she had.

"So what happened after fourth grade?"

"Lita took me out of public school, and for fifth grade I went to a private all-girls' school, which didn't really help matters. Overall, it was the guys thought I was cool, but the girls thought I was hideous," she shrugged. "I got through fifth grade. There were strict teachers and a lot of work, but it suited me. That was the year I met Sarah Lara. She was really cool, and we hit it off," there was a bitter tone in her voice. "We became best friends..."

She paused as the waitress returned with their food. Each of them murmured their thanks, and began to eat; not saying a word for a while, but this time the quiet was comfortable. After the first few bites, Mina continued her story.

"In sixth grade, Lita thought I was 'mature enough' to handle public school again, so I got sent to Cameron Middle School. It was okay, though, because Sarah got her parents to do the same. Lita went back to work, and she wasn't back until five most days."

"She became one of the trainers on Tough Enough IX," Kane said softly. "I remember the guy that came out as the winner. Cruiserweight Champion at the moment, in fact. Duane McKing or something. Anyway... How was middle school?"

"It was okay, fun at times... I made some more friends, but not a lot. I was still a loner at heart. Still, a lot of people didn't like me, but that was always, and will always be the case," she took a bite of her waffle before continuing. "That was really it for those three years. Lita rotated in jobs a lot, but I think she pretty much stayed in the WWE ranks."

Kane nodded, listening intently to her words. He had long ago decided not to comment on her use of Lita's first name instead of a motherly term, but knew it was probably in regard to the drama that he had caused. "I didn't hear a lot about her after the Tough Enough stint. It seemed like she disappeared off of the face of the earth..." he pushed his pancake around the syrup-covered plate. "Anyway, that's another story for later. How was high school?"

"I went to Cameron High School, big surprise there," she said sarcastically. "CHS was nicer than any of the other schools, and a lot more accepting, though there were still many that didn't...accept me. Freshman year was probably one of the best school years of my life."

"And why is that?" Kane asked lightly.

"I started going out with my first boyfriend, Chad Wade. He was the best thing and one of the worst things that happened to me during high school." Mina hesitated. Did she delve further? _'Yes,' _she urged herself, _'If he's going to get to know me, he's going to get to know **everything**, and if he's still willing to be in my life... Then maybe, maybe he really is meant to be in it.'_ "Sophomore year was same old, same old. Sarah was still my best friend, and Chad was still my boyfriend," she licked her lips, and took a steeling breath before speaking. "During the summer between Sophomore year and Junior year, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life... I had sex with Chad," she bit down on her lip. God, how stupid had she been? Even now she berated herself for doing it. "The next year he broke up with me, and I realized just how lame I was, and how stupid I'd been to do that as proof that I loved him," Mina glanced at Kane.

Kane looked back at Mina, nodding his head. He and she both knew she had made a huge mistake, but she did not need his words on top her own frustrated feelings about the matter. In a way, he could understand how she felt about it. That, however, didn't stop the fatherly urge inside him to find this Chad kid and beat the living hell out of him.

"I guess Chad had a reason for breaking up with me, but I..." she shook her head, "No, it's not worth putting into words. Anyway, in Junior year, Sarah joined the cheerleading team and started hanging out with new people, but that was okay because I was doing the same, and it wasn't like we had to spend every moment of life with each other. Her new friends... I didn't like them at all, so I stayed away from them. They were the people who talked about me behind my back, and I didn't want to risk the friendship Sarah and I had. I told Sarah about what Chad and I did, her being my best friend, and the next thing you know, it's all over the school that I'm easy, and that I'm supposedly doing all of my friends, who were nearly all guys. After that, Chad broke up with me," she paused. "It was déjà vu, relearning that people are generally not worth bothering yourself with." Mina stopped, finishing her meal. She had created a brighter, happier side to her that was in view with everyone, but she hid the cynical, deep side to her. Yet, talking to Kane brought it out, and she was finding that it was just so...easy to talk to him.

"Anyway," she said, swallowing her last bite, "I attacked the girl that Sarah had told—and in turn told everyone—and broke Sarah's wrist. I got expelled from the school, and I moved to a different school. Senior year I was a loner. After that, I went into OVW. After the hours, I took courses in music and writing at Northwestern University, and got my Bachelor's in both... And here I am."

"Wow," Kane said aloud, and smiled. "You really are my daughter." The words felt odd to Mina, coming from his mouth, but it was in a good way. After a few minutes of small talk, the check came. Kane paid it, and glanced down at his watch. "I've got to get to an autograph signing, but maybe we could get together before the live RAW show?" he prompted.

"Sure," Mina said with a smile, "That'd be great. I'll call you," she added, knowing he didn't know her cell phone number, and poised to keep it that way for a while."

Kane stood, and hesitated. "Mina?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering... Well, I need a tag team partner on RAW against Shelton Benjamin and Gail Kim and I—"

"Yes," Mina answered immediately, grinning.

Kane smiled. "Great! So I'll see you Monday," with that, he began to leave the café, followed at a length by Mina. As the bell signaling his exit rang, a smirk came onto Kane's face. Monday... Monday was when the transformation began. Mina would no longer be _Matt's _daughter, she would no longer be _Lita's _daughter...she would be his daughter. They would be a team, a destructive force to be reckoned with.

And someday, she would fill the shoes of his past in the WWE.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Whew! That was a long chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it. And I promise, there will be some action soon! Yes, on RAW. Lol. Just hang in there, and please review!

**Next Chapter: **Randy and Lita have a little "chat", and Mina meets a fellow Diva who just may become her friend...


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Okay, okay, I'm guilty again of not updating in a while, sorry guys! This chapter is basically a filler, sorry, but I'll try and put up a better one soon. Sorry about the preview for last chapter not being this one... Anyway, thanks to Jessy Antichrist, Normal Chick, Latisha C, AniLuLu, huntersgirl, MickDaCommish, Taka-Ichi-Sisters, The Zazu, and darkprincess02 for the reviews. Please keep them coming!

* * *

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

* * *

**Inside of Me**

**Chapter 7**

"I don't like this... I don't like this _at all_," Lita announced to her husband, Matt Hardy, as she continued packing her things up for the flight to the next city on their schedule. Matt looked down at the brochure he was fiddling with, not replying. His eyes moved back to Lita as he swung his legs off of the edge of the bed. "I mean, come on!" Lita threw her arms in the air. "She's twenty-one; she's not old enough to do these things on her own! And she's with Randy Orton! God... She'll probably end up doing something stupid, _again!_"

Matt licked his lips, exhaling softly. "Lita," he said in all seriousness, "You've gotta stop ripping down on Mina, sweetie..." His comment was ignored.

Lita stuffed a few shirts into the suitcase lying open on the bed with more force than necessary. "She screwed up with that Chad kid, and now she's going to screw up again," she muttered, her movements jerky. "Mina messes up wherever she goes. And now that she's legal for nearly everything? God only knows... Next time I see my daughter it will probably be when I'm picking her up from jail for a DUI."

"Lita," Matt stopped her, his voice firm. "You and I both know that Mina is not irresponsible. We raised her well. Randy Orton is nearly _forty_, Li, _forty_. Mina isn't that stupid." He closed his eyes for a moment, before Lita spoke, her voice filled with emotion.

"I know, Matt, I know... It's just that... What if... What if she _does _screw up? I don't want to see her hurt again. She's gone through enough. She needs someone to turn to, at the least, and Kane... He isn't her father, much less someone to turn to!" Lita exclaimed, her voice breaking, her hands resting on the sides of the suitcase.

Matt reached out, touching her arm gently and looking into her eyes. "We're never going to be the people she turns to, Lita," he said softly, knowing that her words did not just come from the situation with Kane.

"Why...Why didn't she ever tell me?" Lita asked with a dry sob. "She never told me what was bothering her and what was going on..." she closed her eyes, feeling shaky on her legs. "I had to punish her for fighting, but maybe if I would've known...if I would've pressed harder...she would've been okay."

"It's all right," Matt said, conviction lacking in his voice.

"No, it's not. If I would've told Mina about this she wouldn't be risking herself with Kane!" Lita shouted.

"That sounds familiar," Matt commented softly.

Lita turned and looked at him, a lead weight forming in her stomach. "Matt..." she whispered. How must it feel for him, first to see his girlfriend-at the time-tortured by Kane, and then, nearly twenty-two years later to see his daughter being deceived by the same man? Lita sat down next to him, holding his hand tightly. He laid her head on his shoulder.

"Hang in there, Lita... She's meant to do this; we couldn't have kept it from her forever and you know she would've gone out seeking him if it had gone down any other way."

"I hate not being able to help her..." Lita sighed.

"She has to learn these things on her own, Li... All we can do is pray that everything turns out okay."

Lita nodded numbly. All she could do was pray... Pray that Mina wasn't emotionally scarred after this, pray that Kane's deceits didn't go unnoticed...and pray that, in the end, her little girl would still be her little girl.

* * *


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Thanks to Latisha C, Taka-Ichi-Sisters, moonchaser1, AniLuLu, huntersgirl, The Zazu, nic alex and qtea-angel (and more thanks to you for inspiring another story part for later in this story!) This is another short chapter; I'm sorry, but the part that comes next will fill an entire chapter, and I'd rather not bore you all to death. Anyway, I hope you guys like and please review!

* * *

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

* * *

**Inside of Me**

**Chapter 8**

"Lita!" Randy Orton stepped around the corner, seeing Lita exit her hotel room. She turned, staring at him with surprise. A moment later, a shield went over her face, concealing her emotions like a mask. Randy, however, wasn't fooled…nor was he sympathetic. In a few easy, purposeful strides he was next to Lita, nearly towering over her because of their difference in height. "Look, Randy, I don't have time for this," Lita murmured.

"What, you don't have time for your own daughter?" Randy asked, his raw anger getting the best of him.

The mask fell, and anger replaced it. "What the hell do you mean by that?" Lita snapped.

"Oh, what?" Randy threw up his hands in the air. "Why didn't you tell her about Kane?" he asked, his voice intense.

"At the moment it seemed like the best thing to do," Lita said through gritted teeth.

Randy shook his head, exhaling sharply. "If that isn't the lamest thing I've ever heard…"

"And what would you have done?" Lita said loudly. "Tell her that her true father is a _monster_? Tell her that Matt isn't really her dad? _Tell her that she was a mistake?_"

"Oh, like lying to her for her entire life is much better," Randy snorted.

"You are in no place to tell me how to raise my daughter."

"I guess you're right. I mean, I'm **only **her confident after she found out her parents betrayed her," he glared down at Lita, his presence overpowering. Lita, however, glared right back, her hazel eyes blazing with fury.

"Are you suggesting that you know more about parenting than I do?" she asked, "Because last time I checked, you didn't even have a wife, let alone a kid." Randy went dead silent, his eyes turning into cold stones. Lita clamped her mouth shut, realizing that she had crossed a line not meant to be crossed—but all the same she would not take it back.

Randy grabbed Lita's forearm forcibly. He gripped it tightly; but not tightly enough that it would hurt her. "You know what pisses me off, Lita?" he asked breathlessly.

"What?" Lita asked, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"I've spent my life looking for the right girl—I still am. I want to have a kid; I want to have a family. And lately, I keep crossing paths with people like you and Matt," his breath was warm on her face. "You found the perfect person, you had a child, you had it all…and then you fucking screwed it up," he hissed.

"Let go of her," the feminine voice startled them, and both of them turned to see Mina walking toward them, her eyes hard.

"Mina," Lita started, but her daughter ignored her, turning toward Randy immediately, prying his hand away.

"Let's go," she told him, her voice low.

"But-"

"Now," she hissed, stepping away. Mina grabbed his wrist and walked toward the elevators, trying hard to keep her hand steady. _No_. She would not think of what had happened. _'One emotional breakdown per day,' _she thought cynically to herself. Randy walked slowly behind her. Mina turned, and for one tense second her eyes met Lita's.

And then Mina turned away. It was too much to deal with at once. She was so sick of it all, but her personality would not let her back down.

It was a damn good thing she had a match tonight, because she really need an outlet for her emotions.

"Mina, did you…" Randy trailed off as they stepped into the elevator.

"I saw it all," she replied stonily to his unasked question. Randy ran a hand over his hair.

"I didn't mean for you to see that, you know," he told her honestly. Mina looked over at him, her eyes softening, something in her heart pricking at her feelings. Randy had stood up for her. It was something entirely new to her. _'He stood up for me… He singled Lita out just to do it.' _Her throat clenched, and at the same time she told herself not to make a big deal about it, she was still choked up. Not bothering with words, she learned over and hugged Randy. _'Is this what it feels?' _she wondered, _'To have a true friend?'_

Of course, she had thought Sarah Lara was a true friend.

Mina shook her head. From here on out, she had a new philosophy. It was her against the world. And maybe, just maybe, Randy and Kane were on her side. Her only question was this:

Whose side were Matt and Lita on?


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed since the last chapter: Taka-Ichi-Sisters, Hope Falls, BubblyShell22, gtea-angel and Latisha C. I hope you guys like this chapter! Please keep on reviewing and (even though it's late, and probably will be much later by the time I finish this) have a happy new year!

* * *

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

* * *

**Inside of Me**

**Chapter 9**

"Later tonight, we have Shelton Benjamin and Gail Kim versus Kane and Mina!" Jim Ross announced to the arena.

"Maybe this time Mina won't run out on her match," the King laughed.

J.R. pointedly ignored his partner. "You've got to wonder how Mina is doing since Kane unleashed the bombshell that _he _is her father, and not Matt Hardy."

Mina frowned as she heard the announcers' voices on the nearby monitor in the women's locker room. The room was full of women changing into their wrestling gear. Mina wasn't stupid—she'd notice all of the side glances that they'd been giving her since she'd stepped into the room. She gritted her teeth to stop herself from asking someone to turn it off. Asking that would be like admitting to these complete strangers that this was seriously bothering her.

The redhead sighed to herself as she pulled a mesh shirt over her lime green tank top. _'I shouldn't be worrying about this,' _she thought, slipping on her Lycra pants. _'I'm going out there tonight and I'm proving to the world that I'm good enough to be here. I'll worry about the rest of it-my **life-**later.'_

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the chick that ran away from a title shot." Mina glanced up from her bag, where she'd been depositing her street clothes, and immediately straightened, her eyes narrowing. Gail Kim stood in front of her, hands on her hips and the Women's Championship strapped around her shoulder. Two other women stood on either side, giving Mina a look like she was filth.

"My, oh my, would you look what the cat dragged in?" Mina replied, looking Gail up and down.

Gail's gaze turned venomous. "You've got some nerve," she said, stepping closer to Mina. "You run away from your first match, not to mention it being a _title match_, and now you pick a fight with me?"

Mina was partially inclined to point out that it was Gail, in fact, who was picking the fight, but it seemed like a waste of words. Before she could speak, someone else cut her to the chase. "Gail, could you for once get some manners and stop trying to intimidate everyone that can steal the title from you?" Mina looked to her left and studied the Diva who had come to her verbal rescue. She was a fellow redhead—though more of a strawberry blonde than anything—with blue eyes and about 5'4" in height.

Gail turned her superior glare over to the other Diva. "Christy, I don't think you have room to talk. You only got here because the fans liked your ass better than the rest of the wanna-bes."

"I proved that I belonged here when I won your title last month," Christy replied, stepping up to Gail and prodding the title as she spoke.

"Yeah, but you couldn't keep it," Gail snorted, "It only took me three weeks to get it back."

"Only because your little groupies interfered," Christy shot at the two blondes latched onto Gail.

Gail smirked. "A champion has to be ready for everything and it's obvious that you aren't championship material."

"Last time I checked a champion was an honorable person," Mina mused. "And from what I hear it's obvious that you're the furthest thing from it."

"Listen to me, newbie," Gail hissed, turning her full attention on Mina. "You're either against the Roses or you're with us."

Mina burst out laughing. How pathetic was this? "Whoa, whoa, whoa… 'The Roses'? Gee, that's intimidating. Almost as intimidating as you," she added, a lopsided smirk on her face. "And if you excuse me, I've got to go get ready to kick your ass in about…oh, ten minutes." Mina smiled at the look on Gail's face and headed toward the door, sending one of Gail's accessories stumbling when she knocked into her shoulder.

"That was priceless," Christy told her, and Mina turned around. Christy had followed Mina out.

Mina smiled. "You didn't do so bad yourself."

Christy smiled in return, extending her hand, "Christy Hemme."

"Mina—" she bit her lip and then shrugged, "Just Mina."

"Nice to meet you."

"The same," Mina replied politely and hesitated. "I've got to go and stretch, so…"

"I'll see you later," Christy said, smiling.

"All right. Bye!" Mina started to leave when Christy spoke.

"Hey… Watch out for Connie and Tracey. They don't look like much, but they're nasty fighters."

"Thanks," Mina nodded before heading her way. As she made her way through the throngs of people, she forced herself to focus on her upcoming match. She felt the frustration that had built within her well in the pit of her stomach, and she smiled.

Gail Kim was going to wish she'd never opened her mouth.


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Again, I own squat and Mina's entrance music is © Powerman 5000 and is called "Earth vs. Me". I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review!

* * *

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

**

* * *

**

**Inside of Me**

**Chapter 10**

Mina let out a long breath as she jumped from foot to foot, warming up her body for her upcoming match. As she began to roll her head over her shoulders she glanced over at Kane. He was standing stoically by the blue curtains leading to the entrance ramp, his arms crossed over his chest and his face determined. Shrugging off his lack of conversation, Mina went back to stretching, refusing to let the nerves eat at her. Instead, she replayed the incident with Gail in her mind.

"You're up," both Mina and Kane looked at the technician who spoke to them. Kane nodded to Mina before walking through the curtains, leaving her alone. She heard Kane's music playing and held her breath, anticipating her own entrance.

"Mina!" Mina whirled around at her name in surprise and froze when she saw Matt Hardy standing there, out of breath. She leaned back, eyeing her father with caution. He stared at her with pleading eyes. "Don't go out there, Mina," he pleaded. "I think he's planning something…" he trailed off, his words dying on his lips, realizing that Mina had no intention of backing down.

"You just don't get it, do you?" she asked him, blinking rapidly. "All my life you lied to me and tried to control me, whether it was for my best interest or not! You've **never **trusted me!" she stepped backward, the curtains brushing against her bare arms. "But guess what? Now you **have **to trust me." With that she turned around and stepped through the curtains.

* * *

**That's the way it's gonna be**

**The earth vs. me**

**Well, I can dig it yeah I'll rise**

**Above it all**

**Never, never, never takin' the fall**

Mina smiled as she stepped into the view of hundreds of people. As she walked to the ring, the familiar strains of her music steadying her beating heart, her eyes locked onto Gail's two escorts—Connie and Tracy—before falling on Gail herself. Smirking, Mina let her confidence take over and climbed into the ring.

**Well the thoughts that I think**

**Are paranoid**

**The thoughts that I think**

**I think I can't avoid**

**I swear they're out to get me**

**But get me not 'cause I'm ready**

**For the fight**

The redhead walked up to Kane as her music dissolved into the screaming voices of the fans. Gail Kim and Mina stepped behind the ropes on their respective sides; letting Kane and Shelton start out the match. Mina watched the match intently. It went back and forth for quite awhile: Kane's powerhouse versus the quickness of Shelton. A few minutes into the match, the two went sprawling over the ropes and onto the outside. Gail Kim rushed into the ring, distracting the referee as one of her minions retrieved a steel chair. Seeing this, Mina scowled, jumping off of the apron and beginning to walk over where Shelton and Kane were, only to find that Connie and Tracy had beaten them there. Kane was struggling to his feet, his eyes on a sprawled out Shelton and not on the chair-wielding Connie. Mina ran at the two women, aiming to take down Connie when, out of no where, Tracy leapt in her path and lifted her leg, the combination of her kick and Mina's momentum sending her heel into Mina's face. Mina's neck jerked back and she fell to the ground, grasping the offending body part. Connie rushed forward, swinging the chair back and bringing it against Kane's forehead with surprising strength. Kane fell onto his back, grasping at his forehead.

The referee, hearing the noise, went to turn. By the time that he did, however, Connie and Tracy had scurried away to the other side of the ring, doing their best at looking innocent. The ref warned them quickly as Shelton got to his feet and shoved Kane into the ring, quickly capitalizing on Kane's temporary weakness.

On the padded concrete floor, Mina rose to her elbows, shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the dizziness swallowing her. After a deep breath, she stood up, using the skirt of the apron to help pull her up. The world seemed to spin beneath her—not to mention her burning face and the pounding headache—but she patiently waited for a few moments before she stepped up onto the apron, her wary eyes returning to the battle spilling out in the ring in front of her.

Shelton Benjamin backed into his corner, eyeing the fallen Kane. Before he could sit up, Shelton tagged Gail Kim in. Mina climbed into the ring, the canvas mat springing beneath her feet. She reached up to push her a few strands of stray hair from her face and felt the warm blood on her face from where the heel of Tracy's shoe had torn the skin. Mina glanced at Kane quickly as he stood up—but not quick enough. In the brief moment it took to turn her head Gail rushed forward, clotheslining Mina into the mat. Gail turned around—and ran straight into Kane's broad chest. The Diva jerked back in surprise, her eyes widening as he smiled evilly at her. He faked a lunge at her and she jumped backward instinctively. So caught up in this mind game with Kane, Gail didn't notice Mina bring herself to a crouching position on the mat. Mina pushed off from the ground, her arm wrapping around Gail's knees and bringing her crashing down to the mat, her head bouncing painfully off of it.

As she pulled Gail up from the mat, Connie jumped up on the apron, distracting the referee once more. Her anger sparked, Mina shoved Gail toward Connie. Unable to stop, Gail slammed into both the ref and Connie. Connie's jaw came crashing down on the apron and she fell motionless to the outside. Mina set her hands on her hips, eyeing Gail for a moment. She didn't notice Shelton pulling Kane's feet from under him and bringing him down to the outside.

Before she could go back to attack Gail, Mina was stopped by Tracy. Tracy slipped into the ring and speared the redhead from behind. Green eyes focused, Tracey flipped Mina onto her back and straddled her, slamming Mina's head into the mat. Mina attempted to counter, her arms flailing without a target. Between the numbing blows to the back of her skull and the tangle of her hair and Tracy's, she was essentially blinded. However, Mina got lucky as her fingers found Tracy's eyes, gouging them without remorse. Tracy yelped and pulled away from Mina, giving the other woman time to recover. However, Tracy recovered before Mina. Mina was on her hands and knees when Tracy walked over to her, kicking her in the stomach harshly. Mina fell, grabbing her stomach with one arm and trying to defend her face with another as Tracy let loose a fury of kicks.

Gail slid into the ring as the referee started coming to. She rolled Mina onto her back and nudged the referee. Slowly, the ref crawled near the two women and began counting. "1…2," Gail hooked her feet around the bottom rope of the ring behind the referee's vision. Using her leg strength, Gail was able to stop Mina from kicking out. "…3!" the ref announced, and motioned to the timekeeper weakly. The bell rang and Gail stood in victory, her arms raised.

As Gail, Connie, Tracy and a reluctant Shelton celebrated in the ring, Kane stood up on the outside, his eyes falling on Mina, who had long since rolled out of the ring. He stared at her for a moment, concerned. That was when he saw the blood on her hands…_his _blood.

A moment later, his large hand closed around the leg of a steel chair, his mind clearly on revenge for what the four in the ring had done to his daughter.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you liked this chapter! And if anyone is curious about Tracy and Connie, they're going to be covered in the next (or close to the next) chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and please keep reviewing!


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm actually partially on time with this chapter. Yey! I hope you enjoy it. Please review!

* * *

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

* * *

**Inside of Me**

**Chapter 11**

"What's Kane doing? The match is over!" the King's indignant voice announced as he watched Kane slide into the ring and slam the steel chair into Shelton Benjamin's back with relentless force. Kane's furious eyes turned to the three women who looked positively terrified.

"Good match, girls," he said suddenly, offering his hand to Tracy, a smile on his face.

Tracy stared at him wide-eyed, unsure of his sudden attitude change. Tentatively, she put her hand in his, shaking it quickly. She went to pull her hand away but found that Kane had tightened his grip. Tracy swallowed as she looked at the man, pure fear in her eyes.

"I don't think so, Tracy," Kane said, an evil smirk taking over the faux smile that had claimed his face moments ago. With a powerful tug, he yanked the blonde toward her. He let go of her hand as she stumbled toward him and used it to deliver a decapitating clothesline. Connie immediately rushed toward Kane. Still smirking, Kane lifted his leg up, bringing his boot on a collision course with Connie's face.

Kane stepped away from the two motionless bodies and circled a petrified Gail Kim, his grin taunting. Gail stepped backward as he approached. A few steps later, she bumped into something—or rather, someone—behind her. Gail turned around to face Mina. Gail's eyes widened. In a quick move, she leapt to the side and was going to slide out of the ring when Kane wrapped his hand around her throat, dragging her backward. She caught a glimpse of his cruel eyes before he raised her in the air with one powerful arm. Mina watched emotionlessly as Kane brought Gail slamming onto the mat.

Mina's hands curled into fists at her sides as she looked down at the expression of pain on Gail's face. Conflicting emotions ran through her but she ignored them, instead continuing to focus on Gail. The crowd's screams seemed almost silent in her ears now.

"Mina." The redhead turned at Kane's voice, looking at his face for a moment before traveling down to his extended arm. Her breath caught in her chest as she realized that he was holding the steel chair in his hand. "Take it," he urged. Mina frowned. Cautiously grabbing one of the chair's legs, Mina felt its weight in her hand. She glanced at Gail and then back at Kane. In that moment she realized that he wanted her to hit Gail with the chair.

Mina turned to Gail, gripping the chair with her two shaking hands. She bit down on her lower lip as she stared at the chair. Kane pressed his hands down on her shoulders. "Do it," he whispered in her ear, and she turned her head away, clenching her teeth together. "She deserves it for what she did to you," he persisted. Mina looked at Gail once more, Kane's words sinking in. "Do it," he repeated firmly. "It's in your blood," he said, his voice low.

The redhead felt her body go cold. He was right—it was in her blood. Everyone kept telling her that Kane was a monster. Well…her blood was half Kane's blood. So if he was a monster…so was she. Who was she, to attempt to deny what was inside?

Lifting the chair, Mina concentrated on Gail. A mere moment later, she brought the chair crashing down on the Women's Champion. Gail's cry lit the air. Kane smiled as Mina tossed the steel chair aside and left the ring with her head held high. Slowly, Kane followed Mina, catching up with her near the top of the ramp.

"Good match," he told her and she sent him an icy glare.

"I lost it," Mina told him, disappointed in herself.

Kane stopped and Mina followed suit, looking at him curiously. "Look at that ring," Kane ordered, and she did so. "Do you see them? They're all over the ring; they're hurting. They're lying facedown and waiting for the medics but we," Mina looked at him, "we are the ones that are standing."

Mina paused, facing the ring once more. Slowly, she smiled. Kane was right. In one fluid motion, she raised her arms in victory. Gail and Shelton had technically won the match, but after all was said and done…Kane and Mina were the true winners.

* * *


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Thanks to gtea-angel, AniLuLu, huntersgirl and Latisha C for the reviews. I hope you guys like this chapter! Please review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything but the story itself! Well…and Mina, Tracy and Connie.

_

* * *

Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

**

* * *

Inside of Me**

**Chapter 12**

Mina clasped her hands in her lap in the overwhelming silence. She was sitting in the passenger seat of Randy Orton's car, getting a ride back to the hotel after she showered from her match. Since she'd clambered into the car fifteen minutes ago, Randy hadn't said a word to her. Mina looked at him through the corner of her eye, shrinking in her seat. She could tell he was angry. His eyes were a hard, dark blue, never once straying from the road ahead. His jaw was clenched tight; his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel. Mina sighed, turning her head and looking out of the window at the city on the other side.

"Say what you want to say," she told Randy, not moving her eyes to look at him.

Randy glanced over at Mina for a moment before rotating his eyes back to the road. "What the hell were you doing out there, Mina?" he asked.

Mina sighed once more, letting her forehead rest against the cool glass of the window. His tone wasn't aggressive it was…_disappointed_. She hated that. It was so much easier to deal with anger—something you could battle back with; fight fire with fire. "I did what I had to do," she whispered softly.

Randy could sense that even she didn't believe the words. He shook his head, "You didn't have to clobber Gail with a steel chair."

"He told me to, you know…" Mina murmured quietly, her voice hollow.

"You don't have to do everything that he tells you to do," Randy told her sternly.

"I know," Mina whispered, her eyes hollow. "But…I almost feel…" she shook her head. "It's stupid, okay? I feel like I owe it to him. And yeah," she said, cutting Randy off, "I don't owe anything to him. But you just…you don't **understand**, Randy…"

"Then help me understand," he said pleadingly, glancing over at her quickly.

"All the friends I had stabbed me in the back one way or another," Mina told him, her voice devoid of sadness. It had come to be a fact that she simply accepted it. She wasn't meant to have friendships. "The two people I trusted most in my life couldn't trust me back. They never did trust me, even before now." Randy sighed softly, but she ignored it. "You don't know what it's like, to have no one. To be so broken down inside, to be so hurt…and having only your own backbone to hold you up," she turned, staring ahead numbly. "All I have left now are you and Kane," she looked over at Randy. He frowned inwardly when he met her gaze, his heart churning.

"Mina…" he started, shaping his thoughts into words. "It doesn't have to be that way. You have a chance to change that now," he told her, "Making new friends is tough, but you can do it. Most of the Divas aren't like Gail, and most of the wrestlers are pretty cool. I don't want you to be alone when you're older and I don't want your life to seem like it's been a little too short; a little too cold. I don't want you to—"

"End up like you?" Mina asked softly, her innocuous words sealing Randy silent. She had stolen the words from his heart; not his tongue.

"Yeah," he said after a couple moments, "Like me." He shook his head, "This has nothing to do with it, anyway," he dismissed the topic awkward to him. "Do you really believe you were right tonight?"

"No," Mina said easily, her eyes steady on the road ahead of her.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Kane understands me more than anyone else ever will," she told him, "All of the things that I have been through, so has he."

"If he understands you so much, why did he tell you to do something you believe is wrong?" Randy countered.

"It's a small sacrifice to make," Mina replied quietly.

"You shouldn't have to make a sacrifice," he responded, shaking his head.

"Life is about sacrifices," Mina said, her voice ruthless, "Sacrifices for the greater good of your own life. That's what everyone is about."

"Choices are what make people," Randy stated. "There's always a way around a sacrifice."

"Not in my world," Mina replied, looking out the window once more. "The choices I have to make are about what to sacrifice," she told him. "One day I'll have to choose between you and Kane," she spoke quietly, with the tone of submission.

"What?" Randy asked, bewildered, "I would never make you choose between us."

Mina looked at him, her eyes void. "You sit here and you speak to me about how I could have more friends and better people by my side than Kane," she reminded him, and turned her head once more. "You two are too different to coincide remotely close to each other. One day it'll come down to a choice between the two people that I have left in the world."

"And who would you choose?" Randy asked, his voice empty.

"Myself," Mina said. Randy looked over at her and she met his gaze. "I'll choose whatever is best for me. In the end…it is all any of us can do."

The rest of the car ride to the hotel was silent. Randy rubbed the back of his neck as he drove. All in all…Mina was right. Eventually, she would have to choose between him and Kane. Randy couldn't stand and watch by as Kane slowly poisoned her mind, changing her beliefs and her view on what was right and wrong. He would not watch this young woman fall into Kane's trap. She deserved so much better.

After they had pulled into the parking lot, Randy and Mina got out of the car and headed to the back to unload their bags. As they did so, Randy met her gaze and spoke. "You told me one day that you valued bravery," he stated and she stared at him, wondering where he was going with this. "Standing up for your beliefs? That's bravery that few have ever been truly tested with." With that cloaked statement, Randy shut the trunk door and headed toward the lobby.

Mina stayed behind for a moment, deciphering the true meaning in his words. She had been wrong. There would be no future battle between Randy and Kane.

It had already started.

Shouldering her bag and heading toward the lobby, she could not know that the choice between her biological father and the father she had known for nearly all of her life was the one choice that was looming closer among the rest.


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Thanks to AniLuLu, rhysus, huntersgirl, Jay Lesner and Latisha C for the reviews. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything but the story itself! Well…and Mina, Tracy and Connie.

_

* * *

Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_-One Step Closer by Linkin Park_

**

* * *

Inside of Me**

**Chapter 13**

Matt Hardy sighed to himself as he walked through the halls of the hotel alone. He had convinced the person at the desk to give him the number of Mina's hotel room. After what had gone down tonight…well, he wasn't taking any chances. Matt respected her privacy, her emotions, her space, but for Christ's sake, he wasn't going to hand her over to some psychopathic monster on a silver platter. His steps quickened as he rounded the corner.

"She's not going to want to see you." Matt turned at the deep voice and stiffened immediately at the sight of Kane standing directly behind him, his cool eyes focused on Matt.

"She is my daughter," Matt said steely.

"Is she?" Kane prompted, mirth in his glittering eyes. "Is she really your daughter?"

Matt stepped up near Kane, his lips curling into a snarl. "It may be your genes inside of her, Kane, but I am her dad. You didn't spend a minute of her life with her up until now. You didn't **care** about her until now. So what's the big deal, huh Kane? If you **really **were the slighted but loving father you're trying to convince Mina that you are, where were you during those years?"

Kane smirked. "As far as Mina is concerned, you were hiding her from me," Kane told him. "And as far as **I **am concerned…" the smirk left his look, replaced by a deathly stare. "You've always had what I wanted, Matt," he hissed. "I couldn't take Lita from you."

"So you're going to try and take Mina from me?" Matt asked, anger boiling within him.

"I want to hear you beg for mercy, Matt," Kane growled, "I want to see you wither in pain. And the best way, the easiest way, to make a man break down…is to take away everything he loves."

"You're using Mina for revenge against me," Matt said, appalled.

"And he finally sees the light," Kane whispered, the smirk tugging at his lips.

"You _bastard_," Matt hissed, barely able to keep his fists at his side.

Kane smiled and turned his back on Matt. He walked down the hallway, headed back to his own room. Matt Hardy watched him go: the man who had the very potential to ruin everything that he had worked so hard to attain.

* * *

Mina Hardy sighed to herself softly, rubbing at her eyes. Turning to her other side, she peered through the darkness and saw that Randy was sleeping soundly on the other bed. Despite her total exhaustion from the day, there was a pent-up frustration building inside Mina that was making it impossible to sleep. With a heavy sigh, the redhead pushed herself out of bed. Taking cautious steps in the dark, she made her way to her duffel bag and put on a pair of sweatpants over her soccer shorts. After palming one of the room keys on top of the television, Mina slipped out of the room.

* * *

Mina yawned widely as she used the keycard to get access to the exercise room inside the hotel. Her eyes focused in immediately on the only other person in the room. He was benching weights in the back corner of the room, blatantly ignoring the sign that said it required a spotter. Mina ducked her head and turned her eyes away before he could notice her stare or her presence. She walked over toward the treadmills and quickly hopped on one, clipping the safety to her pants. As the belt beneath her started, increasing its speed until it got to the speed she'd set it to, Mina felt a shiver of adrenaline go through her body. Her bare feet fell lightly on top of the speeding black belt.

As she ran, she thought about what had happened tonight. Or was it last night? She hadn't checked the clock before she left. Sure, Gail's little groupies had interfered and yes, Kane and Mina had lost because of it…but did Gail deserve to get hit by a chair? Yes, the thought was tempting (and the action even sweeter), but what should Mina have done? _'Maybe a better question is "What would the **old **Mina do?"' _Mina thought to herself.

The anger and frustration so tightly bound within her, directed randomly throughout her life, pounded through her brain directly to her legs, pushing her to run at the rapid speed until the digital read-out read seven miles. With a sense of relief, Mina slowly brought the pace down, walking for a few minutes to make sure her muscles wouldn't tighten before she shut the treadmill down completely.

With a sigh, she sat down in one of the chairs, drained. The muscles in her legs were shaking from the workout and her body was drenched in sweat…but it felt nice. She pushed her hair away from her face and sighed softly. Mina tilted her head back, letting her eyelids fall.

"That was quite the run." Mina opened her eyes at the male voice, and saw the guy that had been there earlier sitting down across from her. He wasn't bad—his chin was square and chiseled, his black hair about two inches long and spiked on its own, giving him a messy but cute look, and his eyes were a captivating green.

"Thanks," she replied, sitting up in her chair.

He extended his hand to her. "I'm Duane," he introduced. Mina reached forward to shake his hand, a light bulb going off in her hand. Kane had mentioned his name before.

"I'm Mina," she told him, smiling graciously as she shook his hand.

Duane broke the silence after the lingering handshake. "You surprised me last night," he said finally.

Mina squelched the grimace forming on her face. This was the topic she _least _wanted to talk about, but he couldn't have known. "Mmm…" was all she said, hoping that he would change the topic from her lack of answer.

"I wasn't expecting it from someone like you," he told her. Mina's eyes snapped to his, narrowing slightly.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice guarded.

"I didn't mean it like _that_," he said, referring to her response. "I'm good friends with Mike McMahon. He can't say enough about you," Duane said, smiling.

Mina couldn't decide if it was Duane's infectious smile or the mention of Mike that made her smile. Mike was one of those all-around good guys that you could never forget. "I doubt he had enough good things to say after thirty seconds," Mina stated.

Duane smiled again. "You'd be surprised," he told her.

"I think you'd be surprised at how I really am," she said, her eyes falling on the clock behind him. "I have to go," she said and it was true. It was nearly 3 in the morning.

"Take care," Duane said. Mina nodded. She felt his eyes on her back as she left the room.

Mina watched her steps in the dim hallway as she approached the door to the hotel room she and Randy were sharing. Something Randy had said was running through her head at the moment. He had told her that she would be able to find friends easily here, and she was starting to believe it was true.

Mike, Randy, Christy, Duane… People were beginning to gravitate toward her, and she could imagine being friends with all of them; trusting all of them. Deep down, she wanted to trust them, to be friends with them. And deep down…she needed it.

But part of her, that unstoppable side that ate subconsciously at her, let itself be known. Trusting, in the end, always led to pain. Yet…not trusting was pain.

Mina pushed the thoughts out of her head. For now, she just needed to concentrate on getting enough sleep for the autograph signing tomorrow.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I hope you guys like this one. :) Please review!


	15. Chapter 14

**Inside of Me  
****Chapter 14**

Mina hefted the duffel bag on her shoulder as she walked behind the booths in the autograph session, intending to find hers as soon as possible. The ride to the plaza it was taking place with had been a silent ride; no words being exchanged between her and Randy. Deep down, she knew it had everything to do with the conversation they'd had before going into the hotel last night. She couldn't help but feel like she'd failed Randy somehow, and it brought an emotion forth that she wasn't comfortable with.

She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted her booth. Today was not a day when she needed to be left alone. The autograph session was perhaps the best idea for today. She just hoped she wouldn't face probing questions about what had happened on RAW. Oddly enough, being at one of these, a place where you met hundreds of people was, at times, the loneliest job. No one asking for an autograph really knew you, and those that did were booths away, focused on their own tasks.

When she approached the booth, she realized that someone was sitting in her chair. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled, her shoulders tensing. Mina was fully expecting Gail or someone to be sitting there, but instead she found it to be occupied by Vince McMahon's grandson and the man in charge of recruiting new talent, Mike. She remembered the first day that she'd met him. He'd been the one to interview her after the WWE had gotten her application. His job was to make sure she was fit for her job and to have her sign all of the appropriate contracts, but he went further and that like he always did, setting up and attending meetings to get her firmly wedged into the WWE: introducing her to the way things worked and to the people she worked with. They had a good rapport between them, and she felt guilty that she couldn't call it a friendship. It was her uneasiness and distrust of people that kept them as friendly acquaintances at the end of the day.

"Hey Mina!" he greeted, his brown eyes twinkling. Mina smiled as she set her bag down. He was effortlessly cheerful in the mornings. He had Shane's face, but he was far more relaxed and content than Shane had been in his heyday. "Thought I'd stop by, make sure you're doing okay."

"Yeah," she smiled, dropping her duffel by the seat. "I'm doing…fine," she strained a smile. Mike got up and gave her a quick hug.

"Listen, I really want to talk with you, but I have to go," he told her.

"I'll be fine, Mike," Mina told him reassuringly.

He squeezed her shoulder, never breaking eye contact with her. "You'll be fine," he echoed, but they both knew he wasn't referring to the autograph signing. As Mike walked away, she plopped down on the seat and pulled out a few markers. The signing wasn't due to begin for another fifteen minutes, and it gave her a little time on her own to think.

She had to talk to Randy. He'd done so much for her in the past week. She'd only known him a week. It seemed like she'd known him her whole life. Randy was so kind to take her under his wing, and she'd done something to offend him. As much as she'd like to believe that it was as simple as something she had told him, she knew it was what she'd done to Gail. Kane had encouraged her to hit Gail with the chair, but it had been Mina's decision. When she thought of what happened, she felt dirty, guilty. She _knew _Gail didn't deserve that, as annoying and antagonistic as Gail happened to be. It was simple morals, simple logic.

But why should _she _have to follow it? There was an anger within her, a deep crevice in her heart of emotions she'd never let out before last night. In all her life, hardly anyone had held to those morals. They'd done everything in their power to reduce her to nothing. None of them even knew the first thing about her. So why was she expected to hold up these morals? They didn't have to.

Was this the anger that Kane had within him? Was this the anger that drove him to be so merciless? When he was in that ring, he didn't have a heart. He was a powerhouse; a force to be reckoned with and a model of a wrestler. One day, she wished she could be as dominant of a force as he was. But there was something else, something that didn't settle right. It all kept going back to attacking Gail with that chair. Her emotions were running all over the place, and she couldn't gather them up long enough to think logically. On one hand, the thrill, the resolve, the happiness it gave her, bringing that unforgiving steel down on a helpless body, as something new, something she'd never felt before and something that she liked. But now, hours later, she felt sick to her stomach. She'd never done that before. It felt wrong. But what confused her most of all, what tormented her, was how everyone's attitudes had changed toward her: Randy, Mike, everyone in the back… Randy wouldn't even speak to her much anymore. She knew he wasn't doing it pettily, or maybe he wasn't even realizing it, but he was upset with her. Mike treated her as if she had made a mistake, ventured into territory that she should never go in again. And everyone in the back…when she'd walked back there last night, it had been different. The warm air of welcome she'd so loved in the WWE was replaced with an air of caution.

"Hey." She jumped at the deep voice and turned to see Kane standing beside her. Swallowing tightly, masking any emotions on her face, she gave a little wave and smiled.

"Hi. What are you doing here? I mean…duh. But I didn't think you were coming…" she trailed off.

"Last minute change," Kane replied. "I have to go to my booth, but I wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

Mina smiled. _'See?' _she told herself silently, _'He's a good guy. He's done **nothing **to you; you just don't understand him. All he has tried to do is be a good father.' _Her smile faltered at his statement. "Actually…" she hesitated, looking into his eyes. She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt about what happened, but sitting there, looking into his eyes…all she could see in them was herself. "I'm fine," she told him instead, forcing the smile back onto her face.

"That's good," Kane said, seemingly oblivious to her inward struggle. "I wanted to see if you wanted to come to the house show tomorrow night with me. Normally there isn't much action, but… Connie has a match versus Christy. I thought you'd be interested."

It took Mina a moment to realize that Kane was talking about her interest in Connie as an enemy. She'd been excited to see a match of Christy's, but the enthusiasm dwindled when she apprehended that she'd be going to the match to study Connie, not to support a friend. _'But…there's nothing that says I can't do both at once,' _Mina thought. "Yeah," she said aloud in reply to Kane's invitation. "I'd love to come."

Maybe she'd have some answers by then.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I feel horrible for taking so long to update, but I've got very fickle muses. My apologies, everyone. All of my wrestling stories are on 'hold' - sort of. Basically, it's my way of not promising anything. I've been updating "Blue Nova" and hopefully now that this chapter is up I can be back on track and update this story. It just depends on how inspired I am, and I don't want anyone to suffer because of it. Anyway, thanks for your patience everyone and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I might be going back and fixing up some typos and the like in earlier chapters. It's so horrible now that I look back on it. :) I'll stop rambling now. Please review!


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